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Palette A Week: Colourpop Element of Surprise

I mentioned on my instagram that this year I want to focus more on actively using the products that I have rather than coveting every new release. One way I am trying to encourage this habit is by doing a “Palette a Week” challenge. Every week (or, you know, as I get around to it) I’m going to choose a different palette in my collection to focus on. I decided to kick off this challenge with the Colourpop Element of Surprise palette. I found the color combination compelling and it was a fun way to get started. My only rule is that I need to create five separate looks with my Palette-a-Week palette before moving on.

Colourpop Element of Surprise – Swatches

Feels: A sparkling white-pink shadow. I hate how impossible to see it is in these swatches because I was so happy with Feels as an inner corner highlight.

Late Night: Classic warm copper metallic shadow. It’s rich and buttery and beautiful, but not a unique shade and it’s easy to replicate.

Silk Street: A matte dark berry shade, which Colourpop labels as a purple-fuchsia. It was one of the more dry shadows in the palette, but I still enjoyed using it in my outer corner and as an under-eye liner.

Rayon: Colourpop calls this “metallic dark coral”. This shade is much more interesting than it looks swatched. Here, it essentially looks like Late Night (imo), but in person there are blue-green sparkles that catch the light and show up well on the eye.

Go With the Flow: This is a creamy peach shadow that was a little powdery but applies well with little/no fallout. She’s smooth & silky. I wish Colourpop would offer Go With the Flow as a single because it’s so functional.

Subdue: A pretty lavender shadow with icy blue sparkles. Subdue is a little sheer when applied dry, but it’s really stunning if you apply with a damp brush or use some type of glitter primer.

Opulent: This bright, satin fuchsia is the visual standout of the palette. Thankfully, it’s every bit as pigmented and easy to work with as I hoped it’d be!

Labyrinth: This is a muted, dusty (the shade, not the texture), victorian rose matte pink shade. I adore it. It’s beautifully pigmented & blends out effortlessly.

Blank Canvas: Less purple and more deep red than than Silk Street, Blank Canvas is a smooth, blendable maroon. It’s a workable dupe for the popular “Love Letter” shadow from Anastasia.

Sea Stars: I love Sea Stars – I actually already owned a single of it before purchasing this palette. I feel like it’s a much more yellow-toned brown (almost a mustard) than it looks in any of its online listings.

Details: This is the one shadow in the palette that I don’t care for and I don’t imagine it getting much use. For me, the darkest shades are typically the ones I never touch. There is a pink sparkle added to the matte chocolate brown base, but as you can tell from my swatch the sparkle doesn’t translate well to your skin.

Peace of Mind: A pearly metallic red-burgundy. Peace of Mind is creamy and full-coverage and is a perfect darker non-matte shadow to round out the palette.

Final Thoughts?

I am consistently impressed with Colourpop’s ability to create quality products for such a low cost. I appreciate that their products aren’t good “for the price”, they’re just good. The Colourpop Element of Surprise has only one semi-dud shadow and is otherwise gorgeous, different from the slew of other warm-toned palettes on the market, and is easy to use. There are enough neutral shades to stay reserved and enough fun pops of color to keep things interesting.

I think this would be a great addition to anyone’s collection. It’s a budget buy that’s excellent quality and functional for both day & night looks.

Here’s hoping that all of my weekly Palette a Week attempts will turn out so well! 😉

I am trying out using affiliate links, which means that I may earn a tiny commission if you click on a link or make a purchase through a link posted here - thanks Mom! As usual, I will never, ever praise a product I don't actually believe in.